The Fellowship of Eleven
by StoryOfDreams
Summary: What happens when two ordinary eight- graders, Riley Waters and Vivian Lasky are whisked away to Middle Earth? Tenth and eleventh walker, R & R, everybody! :)
1. Into Middle- Earth

**The Fellowship of Eleven**

**(A/N: Character appearances:**

**Riley: **14, Ginger hair, blue eyes (sort of like Ginny in Harry Potter)

**Vivian: **14, Blonde hair, grey eyes (sort of like Annabeth in Percy Jackson)

**Disclaimer**: As much as we all wish that we own Lord of the Rings, Tolkien does.

**Also, please tell me if my characters are Mary Sues. Then I'll try to change it! :)**

_Chapter one:_

Riley's POV

I sprinted off to the area where Vivian was waiting, once she'd done her second long jump as well, and I spotted her under the shade where we kept our belongings for track and field.

"_Mae Govennan,"_ she greeted.

Well met. Of course! Vivian and I were complete Tolkien fanatics- I mean; he was a pure genius- the whole Middle Earth stuff! We even got so far as to call each other by our Sindarin names (Celunibeniel for me, and Cuilpantiel for Vivian) and instead of saying all the different abbreviations we made them Tolkien-ish, like OMG is OTV (Oh The Valar.)

"You did great today!" Vivian grinned, as she looked at my first place (for the third year in a row!) long jump ribbon.

"Hannad," I replied, (thanks) and fanned myself with my hand. "It's so hot out here!" I breathed, feeling like I was vulnerable to heat and immune to the cold (well, I was!) even though Vivian was the opposite. "Vivian, let's just chill in the library and pretend to be library helpers- you know, hide behind the big reading poster near the back door and read? The news said it would rain, like, at one, and," I checked my watch before continuing, "it's two- fifty."

"Touché," Vivian said, and I felt a surge of relief- not that I was worried she wouldn't come, anyways. We always did that.

"Here?" I whispered in front of the poster board, clutching The Fellowship of the Ring.

"Yeah," she replied, "I think. Is it just me, or does it feel smaller than usual?"

"Just you," I teased.

"What is _wrong _with you?"

"Everything! I'm not even behind the board yet, Oh The Valar! And I can't even get in!"

The librarian probably moved the poster up on a bookshelf (which meant our hiding place was behind the bookshelf) and Vivian, who easily climbed up (shhh!) a trick taught to us by a classmate, I was too small to get up, always being petite and everything.

Vivian laughed, "For Middle Earth's sake, Riley! Lift up the poster board!"

We both knew I couldn't, without making a ruckus, so she extended a hand and pulled me in.

"Yeah, le hannon." (Thanks.) "You're right, it _does_ feel smaller."

"And darker," she added.

"Euh, let's read."

I was on chapter one, Bilbo's eleventy- first birthday, and Frodo's thirty- third (the age equivalent of eighteen, I guess?) from the book Vivian and I were sharing together, a copy of The Fellowship of the Ring that we found the librarian of the antique store discarding in a garbage bin. Since she didn't want it, Vivian picked it up. It had a worn but beautiful cover, a hardcover edition, but with a nicer front- of purple leather (purple leather! Who discards _that_?) And gold ribbon- bindings with yellow parchment- like pages. Of course, we'd read it a million times already, and the movies, but who cared?

I concentrated on reading.

_The eldest of these, and Bilbo's favorite, was young Frodo Baggins. When Bilbo was ninety-nine he adopted Frodo as his heir, and brought him to live at Bag End; and the hopes of the Sackville-Bagginses were finally dashed. Bilbo and Frodo happened to have the same birthday, September 22nd. 'You had better come and live here, Frodo my lad,' said Bilbo one day; 'and then we can celebrate our birthday-parties comfortably together.' At that time Frodo was still in his tweens, as the hobbits called the irresponsible twenties between childhood and coming of age at thirty-three._

That was when I felt it. Weirdness.

Because:

a) The air was very, very, very slightly hotter (yes, I notice these things!)  
b) I got dizzy (maybe it was just because of reading in the dark)  
c) _It felt like the space was smaller! _

"Cuilpantiel!" I called. (Vivian.)

"Celunibeniel!" She called at the same time, remembering my name in elvish.

"_We're getting transported to middle earth!"_ We laughed and high- fived. It was what we always did if we said the same thing at the same time.

"No, actually, it feels too small here. How do we get out?" _Pe- channas!_ I thought to myself. Idiot!

Vivian turned to me slowly. "Uh, actually, Riley?"

I knew what she was going to say.

"I'm not sure if we can get out," Vivian finished.

"So we climbed above the poster board to behind the bookshelf," I started, "_annnnd_ we can't get out! On either side of us there are bookshelves, and we can't climb above again! There's no shelves to hold onto and hoist ourselves up, nae!" I used one of my favorite words, 'nae' which meant alas!

"_Hey, Riley! A little help here please_?" Vivian screamed.

Oh, for goodness sake, _where_ was the librarian? She was the only one who could help us.

Vivian was sinking through the floor, down, already thigh deep like she was in quicksand (only there was no way to get out), holding the book. "Put the book down!" I protested, and we reluctantly let go.

"I can't!" I yelled to her earlier question, realizing I was stuck in it too- waist deep.

But the sensation wasn't soooooo bad, I realized. What I mean is that it was bad, (no duh!), but at least I didn't pass out or something and become a 'damsel in distress.'

The floor wasn't like goo or anything, but it was kind of unpleasant, like sticky stuff without the stickiness (how is that possible?) slowly pulling me down, and there was nothing I could grab to prevent it. My head felt dizzy, thankfully it wasn't more than that, and I reached up to finger the necklace around my neck- I was wearing a matching necklace and bracelet set with an amethyst, (not too expensive, but at least worth of some value.)

My head ached, and Vivian and I locked the two or our bracelets together. They were from a small shop, and like a BFF bracelet, that were like two pieces that fit together and could be locked together. We might be going somewhere, but at least we would stay together!

My vision started to blur, but I could catch well- enough glimpses of things, maybe darkness, as soon as our heads went beneath the floor, I flashed back to grade six.

'Lift must equal gravity,' Ms. Taylor had said, 'in order to prevent ourselves from sinking down to earth, lift must work equally against it to stop us.'

But thankfully, that didn't seem like the case. I didn't want to speed down into the core of the earth.

My arm felt numb being locked into the same position for so long, from the bracelet, and suddenly, when I saw some light, and blue, green, a lot of blue- I couldn't breathe.

Then, my instincts took over me, and with my right hand that was free, I treaded up to the surface, holding my breath, as I felt something wet, water- we were in a lake.

As I was pulled up by Vivian (I may be the best long jumper in the school, but _she_ was better at swimming) my head broke the surface, and I surveyed my surroundings thinking the exact opposite of Gimli's quote in the first Lord of the Rings movie, 'I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!'

I sure didn't feel that.

But I gasped, merciful middle earth! Where were we?

But it seemed that Vivian and I already thought of the answer.


	2. Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore

**The Fellowship of Eleven**

_Chapter two:_

Vivian's POV

"Dude, Caleb." I groaned. "That was _not_ cool." Was it him, my older (sigh) brother who was waking me up by dumping water on my head? Was it a dream?

Even still, I knew it wasn't once I rubbed my eyes and let go of the bracelet that had the charm connecting to Riley's bracelet. My hand was free.

"Let's swim to shore, Vivian," Riley exclaimed. "Well, its not every day you sink through the floor!" she declared. So, that meant it was true- sinking through the floor of our school library, finding ourselves somewhere (in a lake!) and, with no one else we recognized.

Riley was the more curious one, which was her worst fault, and I was the more naturally suspicious one- which, I realized when I was nine, wasn't such a good thing.

Anyways, we did breath stroke to the shore, which wasn't exactly easy, because of the strong tide, but able to do for both of us. The water was kind of cold, but that was to be expected even in the hot weather, even though it was September the twenty second.

But Riley was looking at me with a strange expression on her face.

"Vivian? Does this ring a bell? Green circular doors, houses under hills, odd folk with short stature?"

She fiddled with her necklace.

"I can't remember from where I knew about it," Riley went on.

"Oh, well, then," I sighed. "Imagine if we were in Middle Earth!" I exclaimed, remembering the book I was just reading about (and would continue to read if I wasn't here.)

"Drat." Riley started. "What if _we are_ in Middle Earth?" She started off on a path, near to a crowded place that sort of looked like a marketplace.  
Then it struck me. Hobbiton, Bag End?

Oh no, oh no, oh no- this is _not_ happening…

"Let's- let's- let's just- go and explore, see what we can do?" I suggested.

Riley frowned. "Great idea, like I _totally_ wasn't going to do that…"

Whoops. _Now_ I realized why she was randomly walking on a path, and I followed her.

"What are we going to do then?" I said, trying to mask my inner thoughts that Riley was probably also experiencing- Yay! We're in Middle Earth! Well, I mean, it was a change from track and field.

Answering immediately, she said, "my bracelet. We could sell it, the one with an amethyst. I already have the matching necklace and our silver bangle that we both have."  
"No, you don't have to," I said, because even though that would be good, it wouldn't be fair. "We could find a different way, maybe," but I knew, if we tried, we wouldn't be able to.

"C_hill_, I'm fine with it, if we get better clothes we might be able to fit in a little more."  
I looked down at my soaking shorts (which were somewhat modest for shorts on _our_ Earth,) my pale green t-shirt (Green is awesome!), and the khaki jackets Riley wore also (that was the _one_ think I liked,) and I felt for my earrings, which I still had on- beaded hearts, turquoise crystal. They weren't of much value, but maybe I could get something with it for Riley and I, whose amethyst was worth quite a bit- it was polished, cut, and a really deep purple.

It took me a moment to realize Riley was a long way in front of me.

Running, I caught up with her, and we both slowed down into a jog, where a bunch of (hobbits, I guess?) was crowded around.

"Hmmm," Riley thought out loud, "I wonder if there's any clothes for 'big folk.'"  
There probably was, I thought, and we hurried up again to catch up with a hobbit woman, with very _very_ curly light brown hair, who was running a small pleasant- looking shop.

"Hello," Riley panted, holding out the amethyst bracelet.

The woman turned around politely. "How can I help you, Miss-"?

"Waters," Riley replied.

"We're looking to see how much this would cost, perhaps?" and motioned to the bracelet. "Amethyst, and a bit of crystal?"

Then, I discretely pulled away the crystal heart from the earrings (I didn't see anybody with earrings in Hobbiton) and held it out, as the woman rummaged through her stores for something.

"Think we should trust her?" I eyed the woman suspiciously, and muttered to Riley.

"She's Rosie Cotton, for goodness sake! You know? Sam's wife at the end of the book?"

_Oh yeah._ Forgot, whoops. That's why the ladies' appearance rang a bell to me.

She looked almost like the actor in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, but less fat and short (which was kind of good.)

The lady returned, holding an armful of clothing, and exchanged the bracelet for some copper pennies, six of them.

Riley and I decided to keep our jackets, shirts and shoes, so we each got black leggings that we tucked into our boots.

I breathed. Good. For now, but now that we had our wish of being in Middle Earth-

IT WAS BORING!

No worries, though. We'd probably just follow Frodo to Rivendell, follow the fellowship, and be stalkers for the rest of our lives.

Really- I'm serious.

Nah, but since we were here, what better things are there to do other than follow the fellowship?

At least Riley and I had some experience in surviving- (from camp in grade seven, last year, as a field trip- now _that_ was awesome!)

"Vivian?" A voice entered my thoughts.

"Okay, coming."  
"No, it's not that- look! Look! Look!" she squealed.

"Calm much?" I asked, but barely able to contain the excitement myself. Finally!

By that house that we first saw, green painted circular door, house and such, I saw something I didn't realize before- a sign that read, 'BAG END. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BILBO AND FRODO.'

Bilbo's home! Frodo's home! Their birthday!

But something was _wrong._

No Bilbo. Just Frodo.

It struck Riley and I at the same time.

"It's one of those parties!" I cried, "September 22! The ones where Bilbo is gone, but Frodo still celebrates? Like in the book?"  
"I know," Riley murmured.

Then, I caught a glimpse of Frodo, and immediately thought, _Harry Potter turned into a hobbit._

I mean, no scar, but same jet- black hair and green eyes, and I almost felt like calling out to him and saying, 'Harry hobbit!'

But sadly, I refrained from doing so.

Riley asked a nearby person- er, hobbit.

"What day is it? And year?"  
The lady looked at us funny, but that was to be expected- we were human folk, after all, but answered.

"September 22, 3018," she said finally, and was about to say something else, but Riley rushed past her once she answered and said a hurried 'thanks.'

"Let's leave," said Riley breathlessly, and stopped in her tracks.

"Gandalf's beard!" Which was, needless to say, our version of 'Merlin's beard,' or, if you've read Percy Jackson, 'Hades' gym shorts!'

I jumped around.

Leaning against a tree casually, holding a pipe between his gnarled fingers (if he'd been wearing black, I might have mistaken him for those guys leaning against a wall saying 'yo dude,') but anyways, I realized who I was talking to.

"Uh, Gandalf?" Riley said hesitantly.

That was the wrong thing to say on her part. What were supposed to say when he asked us how we knew him? Thankfully, Riley already formulated a response.

"We're from Mordor!" she said cheerfully, and I palm faced (because face palm doesn't make much sense,) and apologized to the wizard, who looked amused beyond words.

He peered at us from under his bushy eyebrows.

"I'm looking for a certain hobbit," he said, unbelieving the Mordor story and we were saved from answering- luckily.

I couldn't help it.

I blurted out, "oh, Harry hobbit?"

This time, it was Riley's turn to palm face (face palm.)

"What she means, is, how can we trust you?" Yeah, I _totally_ meant that, but it was best to go along.

"You can't," he says, in his irritable matter of speaking. _Wizards!_

I pondered over a question in my head. Were the events in Tolkien's book true? _So far not,_ I thought to myself- Frodo Baggins looked more like Halfling Harry Potter than he did in the movies.

So maybe, Gandalf was bad.

Then I did the natural thing- an instinct I refrained from doing earlier- I gave a curtsy.

"Then, your royal wizardness," I said with a mock bow, and a sly smile, "what would you like us to do?"  
"_Goddamit_ Vivian!" Riley hissed. "He just told us!"

I bluffed, "Oh! I already knew that!"

But deep inside, both Riley and I knew that he was to be trusted- like from the book, a direct quote- 'I think a servant of the enemy would look fairer and feel fowler.'

My attention wavered.

_No offense, Gandalf. It's just that you're _not_ a person I would put on my 'best- looking people list.'_

Arwen could be bad, possibly, but after all, she was too pathetic and now that I thought about it, not pretty at all- but again, that was just in the movies.

"This way," I gestured. "We must make haste," and I winced. I sounded too cool- correction- I sounded like Gandalf. And that was _not _good.

As we went along, a question appeared in my head, that I whispered to Riley.

"I wonder if Saruman still uses the ball- thing?"

But, sadly, as the girls ran along, they did not know:  
Indeed, he was.

_Somewhere in dark caves of Isengard, a pair of red eyes gleamed through the palantir. _

"_I trust that your mission went well, my lord," a voice rasped._

_In the darkness, a scene was shown:_

_Two girls running along in a forest, followed by a man in grey._

_Gandalf._

"_You will keep an eye on these two, won't you? Do not fail me._

_I may have not made a mistake of, ah, the portal incident in a century, but it may come to our advantage._

_We still have _him."

"_My lord?" he questioned._ _"It reminds me. The prophecy of that wretched elf, golden- haired, a while back, it read, a portal would be opened every two millennia to another realm." _

"_Yes," said the voice, "Make him follow them. Let him gain their trust. Let him deceive them._

_And finally, when the time comes, bring them to our side."_

Vivian stopped abruptly in the forest.

"_Welcome, welcome to Middle Earth, Vivian Lasky of Earth. Beware, of whom you trust_," a voice spoke in her head.

**Hahaha. Like it? :D**

**Who's the mystery boy? Read to find out!**

**By the way trivia question:**

**Which Lord of the Rings character in the first book, means golden- haired?**

**I'm serious! There actually is a character!**

**R&R, everybody! We crave them!**


	3. Last look

**The Fellowship of Eleven**

**(A/N:**

**Thanks to everyone who took the time to read it!**

**Great job to BrownEyedGirl87, who got the right answer!**

**(The answer is Glorfindel.)**

**Please review!**

_Chapter three:  
Riley's POV_

"Here, I think," I said, panting slightly. "_Behold_, uh, Frodo's palace in the Shire."

Because 'Frodo's home' did _not_ have the same cool ring to it.

Vivian laughed, and Gandalf gave us each a strange look before tapping roughly on the hobbit's green painted door.

Holy cannoli. His house was nice.

"Um," I began, "let's go to Mordor- you know, our hometown?" Before I got to say anything else, Vivian elbowed me in the ribs.

"You think we can trust him?" she mouthed.

"He's Gandalf!" I exclaimed. "The 'fly, you fools guy?' The 'Mithrandir dude?'

"But the story's kinda different so far, for all you know, Gandalf could be bad, and-"

Before she got to finish, the door opened, and a hobbit (Sam, I think?) peeped out.

Yeah, it was kind of different.

First of all, Sam was far less stocky, and wasn't wearing those weird clothes- where in the world did Peter Jackson get the idea of odd hobbit clothes?

Thankfully, they had better fashion sense.

Also? Sam had an odd accent. Middle earth or not, it sounded kind of British, which reminded me of a time, last year, but it wasn't relevant. Anyways-

"_You can't be British," Georgia had said, " because British people are hawt."_

"_OH- MY- _GAWD!_ You just said you like Adam! _

_Adam and Georgia sitting in a tree,_

_K- I- S- S- I- N- G!_

_Wait, I got an idea! Ship names! Adorgia! No! Geordam!" Jennifer said._

"_Oh my gosh__…__"_

Yeah, a little memory that just popped in my head.

I blinked, and followed Riley and Gandalf into the house.

Meanwhile, Sam was getting a pair of long shears and headed out to Frodo's garden.

Gandalf's voice interrupted my thoughts, I was about to say something, but then realized where I was.

"Do you know how to handle a weapon?" He asked firmly.

Uh, the closest I came to handling a weapon was throwing a snowball or poking someone with a stick, a knife, maybe?

But I said the right thing.

"Not really, we can try, though." That was true, I always wanted to.

"We've, uh, seen warriors practice at-" At where?

"At our hometown," Vivian finished.

Huh. That would work. We might as well be able to live here, as long as Sauron doesn't do any weird magic or anything.

The door swung open, and Frodo came in.

"Gandalf! Gandalf, you're back! I feared you came upon trouble."  
_OMG these folk! Why do they have to talk, like, 'I fear,' and everything? Jeez!_

"Ah, it seems as if I have stories to tell to both of you," he said quietly.

And so he began, the tale of the ring, yada yada, he asked us to come along also, and I nearly fell asleep from boredom, if I had not butted in at certain places.

Like, _oh, hurry up already, slowpoke!_

But I was really doing an internal happy dance.

_We're in Middle Earth! Squee! _

Then, I heard the sound of something being tossed into the fire, and a voice.

"Wait- the markings. Some form of Elvish. I can't read it."

"Of course you can't. The language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here." Gandalf's voice.

"Mordor?"

"In common tongue. One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them."

Oh.

"This is the one ring. Forged by the dark lord Sauron, the fires at mount Doom. Taken by Isildur."  
"Bilbo found it- in Gollum's cave."

"Yes, Sauron is seeking it- the ring longs to return to the hand of its master. Frodo, he must never find it." _Well, duh._

Then, he told us more and more, but I get bored easily, so I sorta tuned him out until Gandalf pulled someone out from the window. Sam.

Vivian and I were open- mouthed. How could we not see this coming?

"Uh, you coming?" I asked Vivian. "We have five more minutes."  
"Exactly! Five more minutes!"

I checked my bag a final time with Vivian.

"What do you have?"

"Um, water, dried fruit, a bit of rye bread, rope, extra leather gloves, a mirror-"

"_Why _a mirror?"

"Why not?"

"Eh, go on."  
"And, wait-" she took something from a desk- "yeah, this. I like it."  
Vivian preferred swords, sleek with a silver blade and a medal handle, with twisty designs and a prong on either side of the hilt curving up- fancy.

I, on the other hand, liked long knives, because swords were too big for me (why do _I_ have to be the sort one?) and they were more comfortable to hold.

I hade two of them, like twin knives, both silver, rimmed with gold (yay!) and a pale green leaf design on the white handle. Since I went to archery camp once, Gandalf insisted I take along a bow, which I was decent at (on Earth,) but sorry to say that I kind of sucked on, here.

Even though we had personal preferences, it didn't mean we were good at it, but we took them along anyways, since the hobbits *cough, cough, Sam* didn't carry any.

Both of us carried knives strapped onto the inside of our jackets;

Throwing knives reminded me of throwing snowballs.

Well, actually, we planned to use them as a survival necessity, but they were fine for throwing too. I loved lodging them in wood.

Which, naturally, reminds me-

"_You missed! Wow, you can't even throw a snowball from that distance?"_

"_Well, that's because you run faster than I think!"_

"_Then try again!"_

_Ugh. Infuriating classmate._

_I kneel down and scoop up the right amount of snow, and when he's occupied, I aim it and my arm swings forward, the snowball catching him unawares in the face from quite a distance._

_He falls over his friend, and that friend falls over another friend._

"_Who did that?" the last person to fall says. "He pushed me," with a pointed glance at his friend._

"_And he pushed me."_

"_I got a _snowball_ in my face!"_

_I turn and sprint away with my friends._

_Ha. That showed him._

I remember that, and laugh.

"Hey? Vivian? You done yet?" I ask. "Cause I'm going bananas here, waiting."

"Eee, yeah- let's go!

We're off to see the elves, the wonderful elves of Rivendell," Vivian sang, to the tune of 'we're off to see the wizard.'

"To do that, let's follow the yellow brick road!" we laughed.

"Frodo's waiting," I say, and add, "Sam also."

I take my bow (ugh! More to carry!) And sigh, knowing it's not going to be an easy trip.

Then I think of what a great experience we will have, and the adventure that accompanies it.

Then I think of Vivian, my best friend.

Then I think of her mistrustfulness of everyone, even me (JK- we know each other) and sincerely hope that she won't kill Elrond or Arwen or something.

But- meh. Not my problem- I know I'm wicked.

Looking around, one last glance at the place that was my home for (err, now that I think about it, less than even half a day) I know that I won't be back again for a long time, or never.

Then, gripping my bow tighter for the last moment, I close my eyes, take a mental snap of the Shire, hobbiton, and Bag End, I run up the hill to the start to Bree and I don't look back.


	4. Robin Goldeye

**The Fellowship of Eleven**

**Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own any of these characters except for my OC's.**

_Chapter four:_

_Vivian's POV_

_Heyyy, _Vivian here.

We've only been walking, for, like, half an hour now and we're _nowhere_ close to Bree.

I tried telling Riley (Celunibeniel) that, but her mind was obviously wandering, so she stared at me with this confused look on her face.

"Brie? You realize this has nothing to do with cheese."  
"_Bree_. The place, the Prancing Pony inn place- where we'll be able to meet Ara- Strider, if this follows the book, which, so far, doesn't. But anyways, we're _nowhere_ close to even stopping yet, only an hour- I think? Has passed."

"Oh, joy," Riley muttered, and chucked a knife into a fallen log about twenty meters away, lodging it there. She casted me a lopsided grin and sprinted there, pulling it out of the wood with difficulty.

The hobbits were still cheerful, though, Sam and Frodo.

Well, at least Frodo was.

Sam was just muttering about all his cooking gear and roast chicken and garlic presses.

For the next hour, even though my legs were already protesting, we walked more, (thank _goodness_ it was mid- fall and not sweltering weather) and I paused abruptly to take in the scenery.

I think they were crops.

I thought, _Hey! We're in the farmer guy place! _

But I wasn't so sure after I thought about it; it was (now that I worked my brain) still a short way.

That was when Sam heard a slight rustle in the trees.

"Did you hear that?" He asked, frowning, turning his head to the side.

Well, for sure, I didn't.

"No, I replied," if Sam was hearing things, it wasn't my problem (hey! I just made it sound that hearing things is bad!) But for all we knew so far, he probably _did_ hear something.

I mean, he did have radar ears- his ears were pointed like an elf or something.

"Didn't hear anything either," Riley said lightly, "go back to talking about garlic presses."  
Unfortunately, Sam took that to heart.

"Wish I had a garlic press here," he said wistfully, while in a daydream (I guess about garlic presses, no doubt!) "There's no use without one, I wish I could get one right now…"  
Riley and I tuned him out by talking quietly.

"Now what?" she asked, once we were out of earshot.

"You think we should trust them?" I asked hesitantly.

"_Jeez, _Vivian! This is _Frodo_ we're talking about, dude!"  
I shrugged. I had a flaw for mistrustfulness.

"Dude, stop saying dude- don't get into a habit- not here, you know?" Oops. Just said it myself.

"Yeah, imagine if they thought we're speaking in a different language! Like, actually we could. I bet they wouldn't know what we'd be talking about if I said something like, 'Hola! Yo bro, whasup dude. Chill man, suck it up and don't spill the beans 'cuz I'll loose my marbles. Kay? Adios!'"

I grinned. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of."

"Great!" she rubbed her hands together evilly. "That's _exactly_ what I'll do!"

I knew she actually wouldn't.

"Hey, Riley? Wouldn't it be cool to go with the fellowship?" That was what I _actually_ wanted to do, the cool stuff and not be escorts with little people to a place called Brie- sorry, Bree. *Thanks, Riley, for confusing me.*

"Exactly! I'd hide with Sam at the council of Elrond, if we're not invited. Or maybe," she added in afterthought, "I'd follow them."

Then I turned back, and realized we were quite a fair distance ahead, and I turned around to wait for Sam and Frodo. I realized my legs were aching again, so I sat down on a fallen log. Phew.

Everything in Middle Earth seemed so much _cleaner_ and natural, less populated and there was less pollution, and not like bugs ruled the earth (I'm sorry, bugs, if you're reading this, but that's true.) So I wasn't really afraid to sit on that kind of thing.

I blinked. And I heard a rustle somewhere in the trees- probably my imagination.

"We're approaching crops, and a farm, I guess," Riley announced, in hopes to get Sam's mind off cooking utensils.

Riley turned to me.

"Hey! Doesn't it seem familiar?"

We both knew why.

Farmer Roach? No, Farmer Maggot- Bingo, _that_ guy's farm.

"Maggot's farm?" I asked Frodo.

"Yes," the ring bearer replied, "I remember seeing Merry and Pippin steal mushrooms from him."

That wasn't so surprising.

"Also," I continued, "it seems to me as if we were being followed."

"Heck yeah," Riley was at my side, "why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Thought you knew."

"You know, how Sam heard a rustle? I heard one too. Somewhere," I shrugged and pointed to the left in front of us, "In the trees?"  
He hesitated.

"I don't know, but we must be wary- it's noon."

Well, now you noticed! Something to eat!

I gripped my sword, tighter, aware we were being watched, and I could tell- you know? When you feel a presence but you don't know whom it is? But they hadn't attacked, _yet._

Riley was already getting bread out from our packs, and when we looked up, _holy cow._

The four of us had somehow wandered into the endless maze of crops, and we were _lost._

Yeah. Uh huh.

Sam was nowhere to be seen, getting wood for a fire to cook something, perhaps?

And Frodo, well, could apparate like Harry Potter, if he wasn't lost.

I made a mental note to ask him to teach me if he actually did, which, I doubted.

Riley realized the problem also and quickly packed up, so we silently hurried up to the next row of crops, seeing as saying, 'Frodo! Sam! Where art thou!' (Heh heh) Wouldn't be such a great idea. It's like calling, 'Yo Nazgul! Here I am! Come and get me!'

I felt nauseous, and remembered the Nazgul and orcs.

I totally hadn't counted on meeting them.

Then, as we paused for breath, before pursuing them once more, I quickly scanned the area.

There he was!

Finally!

"Sam," I called quietly, no more than a whisper. "Here. Where's Frodo?"

He frowned.

"I thought I saw him not a minute ago, he's got to be somewhere to the left."  
"Then, what are we waiting for?" Riley grinned, glad we had a start, and we started running.

Just as we were turning the corner of a one- way path, running like crazy, (even I was starting to tire) Sam, who was right in front of us, bashed into something unknown (since it was a one- way path, and turning the corner, you'd never know who it was.)

He fell down, but the person he crashed into remained upright.

Sam bolted up like how I usually did in the mornings to turn off alarm clocks.

"Mr. Frodo! There you are!" And he began blabbering about stuff like 'Gandalf told me to protect you' and yada yada. Personally, I found it annoying, but they were best friends, after all.

Then, at the 'touchy'- ish moment, we all got flung to the ground.

Wait.

This isn't what happened in the movie.

Was it?  
Were we changing the future?  
Or was that book, _The Lord of the Rings_, fake and not the future?

Ho. So far, it wasn't- I mean, _this_ part didn't happen in the book- I think.

Then I saw what rammed me down.

Oh.

Kay.

Yeah.

Merry and Pippin.

Riley uneasily got to her feet, and I, still surprised followed her.

Indeed, it was the two cousins.

And, it _had_ to be this time, but then I felt it.

Kind of like a dementor, but worse, like I knew I was going to die- it could only be one thing- the Nazgul, of course.

"Run!" I gasped, but they didn't need to be told.

Where would we hide?

We couldn't outrun them, surely.

I crossed my fingers that it would actually follow the events of the book and we would be safe.

Somehow, though, I knew, it wouldn't be that way.

Where did characters in books hide?

Behind logs? That was lame.

Inside snozzcumbers, like in the book 'The BFG' by Roald Dahl? Surely not, we can't hide inside gigantic vegetables.

In a tree? That thought never crossed my mind before. I started wondering if the Nazgul could climb trees. I thought of this all in less than a second.

The four of us were running, and soon, if we looked back, we could see this dark shape gaining on us, eight, maybe, nine.

Yes, nine.

So, would we, like, be chased, and then meet wood- elves, or find Bree somehow in less than a half a day, _or,_ it wouldn't follow the story or movie (hopefully not) and something else completely different would be happening, I thought, while I was running.

Jeez! Why can't anything be simple? Why can't _magic_ be simple?

But nothing ever is.

The four- er, six of us, continued running, but we could never outrun them.

While I was thinking, I tripped over a log, but leaped up and kept going. When was this darn forest ever going to end and turn back into crops? I'd readily welcome the change to loose these black creatures.

And then, as they say, be careful what you wish for.

The forest ended- but we were stuck in a dead end, the Nazgul so close, I could feel the pounding of hoofbeats vibrating through the ground.

There was just a hill, and my foot got caught in a tree root.

Oh, joy.

So that was when we began rolling down a hill.

However fun it seems, I suggest you don't try to do it. Dirt gets in your face, and twigs work it's way in your clothes and hair.

But I was relieved when it stopped; I was getting dizzy.

Phew.

Not really.

I realized it was just an arm that went out to stop me from rolling more, and as I looked down, the hill was so steep; I had a headache.

I turned to thank my savior.

"Thanks, Ri-" My voice got caught on the last word in surprise.

That person wasn't Riley.

In fact, it wasn't Frodo or Sam or any of the hobbits either.

It was…

"Robin Goldeye," the boy confirmed.

He was my age, perhaps, with raven black hair and a pale visage slightly speckled with freckles. His pale blue eyes looked at me inquisitively. Robin offered his hand, and I tentatively took it, suspicious. I mean, it's not every day you're being chased by fictional creatures who aren't so fictional after all, and getting saved by this strange guy who pops out of nowhere. At least, not in the normal world.

"Where are the others?" I said rudely, but I found them as soon as the words left my mouth.

"Up into that tree!" Riley hissed. "Quickly!"

Riley, Sam, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin were all in different trees- I don't know how Riley got there, but I couldn't be worrying about that at the moment.

I never climbed a tree before, so I chose one with lots of bumps that would make it easier to climb.

"Riley?" I called, but I couldn't see her. She was probably hiding from the Nazgul.

I gripped a branch, hoping I didn't squish any bugs.

I'd seen people climb trees before, at school.

They weren't huge, but not tiny either, and they would grab a branch and swing up and everything. I never gathered up the nerve to try.

But now, I had no choice. Robin was already scaling up the tree above me, so I thought firmly.

_If he can do it, so can I._

Grabbing the stub of a branch I held, I clung on to it and used only my feet to scale up the tree as I held the branch with my hands, until my feet were close to the branch.

Mimicking Robin's movements, I used my feet to hoist myself up onto a higher branch, and soon my instincts took over me when more branches appeared, so I climbed up it like I was on a rock-climbing wall. The only thing, was that I had to be careful where I stepped, and not into thin air or a flimsy branch- which I almost did, once.

Then, scuffling in to the tree, the ring wraiths sniffing around the base of my tree trunk, I held my breath, and hid.


End file.
